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After more than a week of wet weather, today I was able to harvest cowslips from Brookfield Herbal’s garden.

Cowslips (Primula veris) have a very subtle relaxing perfume, and are known for their sedative and anti-spasmodic quality. Mrs Grieve in her herbal refers to cowslips as “….strengthening the nerves and the brain, and relieving restlessness and insomnia. The Cowslip was held good ‘to ease paines in the head and is accounted next with Betony, the best for that purpose.’”

Fresh or dried flowers – just the yellow corolla plucked out of the surrounding green calyx (see photo below) – can be used to make a lovely relaxing tea: pour over boiling water, cover and leave to steep for 5-10 minutes before straining.